Her older brother is
on his third set of ear tubes because of chronic infections, and their
mom suffers from hives.

As different
as all these people are, they share something in common  a group
of substances are triggering their various behavior, learning, and health
problems.

The medical
literature shows that many of the synthetic additives in food are powerful
chemicals that can that trigger problems in sensitive people. Little
Justins fussiness and sleep problems are linked to the additives
in his baby vitamins. Tiffanys asthma comes from the yellow dye
in her favorite macaroni and cheese mix. Daniel is a calm, well behaved
child when he doesnt consume multicolored breakfast cereal, blue
drinks, and so-called fruit snacks, but the pantry is generally
well-stocked, so his good days are rare.

Maggie has
the most problems after eating lunch in the school cafeteria, but the
strong smelling markers designed for white boards also make it hard
for her to pay attention. (They are also responsible for her teachers
frequent headaches.) As for Maggies brother, his ear infections
are being triggered by the artificial dyes and flavorings in his favorite
candies while the biggest culprits for their mom are the synthetic preservatives
hidden in her low-fat milk and the sweetener in her diet soda.

Synthetic
food dyes are made from petroleum, as are three common preservatives:
BHA, BHT and TBHQ. Artificial flavorings can be made from anything (literally,
anything!) and a manufacturer need not disclose this information to
anyone, including the Food and Drug Administration. Aspartame, the synthetic
sweetener in Moms diet soda, is responsible for more reports of
harmful effects than any other additive in history.

The good
news is that consumers dont have to eat this chemical stew, parents
dont have to be faced with out-of-control children, and all of
us dont need to be harmed by the very thing that is supposed to
nourish us  our food.

The Feingold
Association is a nonprofit organization with 28 years of experience
teaching people how to find the food they love without the chemicals
they hate. Named in honor of the doctor who helped so many hyperactive,
learning disabled children (now called ADHD), most of the volunteers
are parents who have found help for their children and themselves. To
learn more visit <www.feingold.org>.

Jane
Hersey is Director of the Feingold Association of the US and the author
of Why Cant My Child Behave? and Healthier Food for
Busy People.